Egypt soldier killed in clash with Israel forces at Gaza’s Rafah border
- Israeli and Egyptian troops involved in shooting incident near border in southern Gaza
- Israeli forces started operations around the outskirts of Rafah earlier this month
An Egyptian soldier was killed in a clash with Israeli forces at the Rafah border crossing, a potentially major escalation in tensions between the two nations.
Egypt’s military confirmed a border guard died on Monday. The Israel Defence Forces said “a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border,” without giving any more detail. “The incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians.”
Israel’s Army Radio said Egyptian troops first opened fire at Israeli soldiers at the border post between Gaza and Egypt.
Two Egyptian security sources told Reuters that an Egyptian soldier stationed on a watchtower had reacted to seeing an armoured vehicle carrying Israeli troops cross a boundary line near the border while the soldiers pursued and killed several Palestinians.
The soldier opened fire and Israeli forces fired back, killing him, the sources said, sparking an exchange of gunfire between the two sides. Several Israeli soldiers were wounded and the force fell back, and one Egyptian was wounded, the sources said.